St Cwyllog's Church, Llangwyllog facts for kids
Quick facts for kids St Cwyllog's Church, Llangwyllog |
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St Cwyllog's Church from the north-west, showing the annexe to the main church
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| OS grid reference | SH 434 796 |
| Location | Llangwyllog, Anglesey |
| Country | Wales, United Kingdom |
| Denomination | Church in Wales |
| History | |
| Status | Church |
| Founded | 6th century; earliest parts of the present building may be from c.1200 |
| Founder(s) | St Cwyllog |
| Dedication | St Cwyllog |
| Architecture | |
| Functional status | Active |
| Heritage designation | Grade II* |
| Designated | 12 May 1970 |
| Style | Medieval |
| Specifications | |
| Length | 45 ft 6 in (13.9 m) |
| Width | 15 ft 3 in (4.6 m) |
| Other dimensions | Annexe at west end: 20 ft 6 in by 15 ft 6 in (6.25 by 4.72 m) |
| Materials | Rubble masonry and quoins |
| Administration | |
| Parish | Llandrygarn with Bodwrog with Heneglwys with Trewalchmai with Llannerch-y-medd |
| Deanery | Malltraeth |
| Archdeaconry | Bangor |
| Diocese | Diocese of Bangor |
| Province | Province of Wales |
St Cwyllog's Church is a very old church in Anglesey, North Wales. It is near the small village of Llangwyllog. A saint named Cwyllog started a church here in the 500s. We don't know the exact year.
People knew about a church here by 1254. Some parts of the building you see today might be from around 1200. Other parts were built in the 1400s. An unusual extra room was added in the 1500s. This room might have been used as a school.
Inside, the church has items from the 1700s. This includes a special three-level pulpit and a reading desk. These are quite rare.
The church is still used for services today. It is part of the Church in Wales. St Cwyllog's is a Grade II* listed building. This means it is a very important building. It is seen as a "good rural medieval church." It has special features from the 1400s and 1700s.
Church History and Location
St Cwyllog's Church is in the countryside. It is in the middle of Anglesey. The church is about 3 miles (5 km) north-west of Llangefni. Llangefni is the main town in the area. The church is also close to the village of Llangwyllog.
The village gets its name from the church. In Welsh, llan first meant "enclosure." Later, it meant "church." The "-gwyllog" part comes from the saint's name.
The first church was built here by Cwyllog. She was a female saint. She started the church in the 500s. Cwyllog was one of the daughters of St Caw. He was a king from northern Britain. He lost his lands and came to Anglesey with his family. The ruler Maelgwn Gwynedd gave them land.
A church was already here by 1254. The walls we see today might be from around 1200. In the 1200s, the church was controlled by the Augustinian canons. They were a group of monks from Penmon priory. This priory was on the east side of Anglesey. The priory received money from the church. This money was called tithes.
Over time, the priory became less important. In 1522, the prior and two canons signed a lease. They rented Llangwyllog church to Richard Bulkeley. He was from a well-known family in Beaumaris. The lease was for 100 years. The rent was £1 each year.
The main entrance on the north side is from the late 1400s. The window at the east end is also from the 1400s. An extra room was added to the west end in the late 1500s. The church was repaired in 1812. Thomas Bulkeley, 7th Viscount Bulkeley paid for this work. More repairs happened in 1854.
St Cwyllog's is now part of the Church in Wales. It still holds services. In 2011, services were held once a month. The church is one of seven churches in a group of parishes. These parishes include Llannerch-y-medd, Llandrygarn, Bodwrog, Heneglwys, and Trewalchmai. The church is in the deanery of Malltraeth. It is also in the archdeaconry of Bangor. These are parts of the Diocese of Bangor. The church did not have a vicar in 2013.
Church Design and Inside Features
The church is built with rubble masonry. This means it uses rough, uneven stones. It has large boulder quoins. These are big stones at the corners. The roof is made of slate. It has stone copings along the edges.
The main part of the church is about 45 feet (13.87 meters) long. It is about 15 feet (4.65 meters) wide. The extra room at the west end is smaller. It measures about 20 feet (6.25 meters) long. It is about 15 feet (4.72 meters) wide.
At the west end of the roof, there is a bellcote. This holds a single bell. The bell has three bull heads on it. It is dated 1661. At the east end of the roof, there is a cross. There is no wall or arch separating the main seating area (the nave) from the altar area (the chancel).
The extra room at the west end is lower than the main building. It was built in line with the church. It might have been built to be a schoolroom. It has a doorway from the 1500s at its west end. This doorway was changed into a window in the 1800s. There is a modern door at the east end of this room. It also has a fireplace from the 1700s. The main entrance to the church is on the north side of the nave. It dates from the late 1400s. The doorway has a pointed arch inside a square frame.
The east window in the chancel is from the 1400s. It has three sections. Each section has a trefoil shape at the top. The window has a pointed arch. Stained glass was added in 1882. It was made by the artist Henry Holiday. The windows in the north wall are from the late 1500s. They have square tops. The south wall has one similar window. It also has two copies of these windows from the 1800s.
The church has a round stone font. It is from the 1200s. It has carvings of leaves and knot patterns. But about one-third of the carving was never finished.
Most of the other items inside are from the late 1700s. St Cwyllog's was updated in 1769. These items include a three-level pulpit with a reading desk. It has wooden panels on the front and sides. It says "M T I I WARDENS 1769" on it. The altar has rails on three sides. These are probably from the same time as the pulpit. There are also seats nearby in the chancel.
The church has several memorials from the 1700s. To the east of the pulpit, there is one box pew from the 1700s. Another box pew is from the 1800s. To the west, there are open benches. The church's chest is dated 1804. There are also hat pegs on the walls.
St Cwyllog's has three silver chalices. They are from the 1500s. The lid of one chalice (dated 1578) was returned to the church in 2010. An antiques dealer had bought it. She thought it was a Tudor sugar lid. Later, she found out it belonged to a nearby church that had closed. That church had given its silver to St Cwyllog's. The dealer talked to a local clergyman. They realized the lid had the same mark as one of the chalices. It also fit perfectly. So, the dealer decided to return it to the church.
Why This Church is Special
The church is nationally recognized. It is protected by law from changes. It is a Grade II* listed building. This is the second-highest level of protection. It means the building is "particularly important." It got this status on May 12, 1970. It is listed as "a good rural medieval church." It still has some features from the 1400s. It also has its original simple medieval design.
Cadw is the Welsh government body for old buildings. They also note the items and memorials from the 1700s. They say that adding an extra room at the west end is unusual for churches in Anglesey.
An old writer named Angharad Llwyd wrote about the church in the 1800s. She said it was "small, but remarkably well built." She also mentioned the "ancient and curious chapel at the west end." In 1859, another writer, Harry Longueville Jones, said St Cwyllog's had "better architectural features" than most small churches in Anglesey.
A guide from 2009 describes the 1854 repairs as "tactful." It also points out the "rare surviving Georgian fittings." This includes the pulpit. A 2011 guide to religious buildings in Wales says St Cwyllog's has "the earliest and finest" church interiors in Anglesey.
